Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yococoa Beach’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yococoa Beach’, characterized by its upright and uniformly mounded plant habit; freely branching, dense and full plants; strong dark green foliage; uniform flowering; early flowering, eight-week response time; ability to be grown as either disbudded or center budded plants; very freely flowering with about seven inflorescences per lateral stem; large daisy-type inflorescences that are about 8.5 cm in diameter; dark orange bronze-colored ray florets with variable yellow bases and bright yellow disc florets; and excellent postproduction longevity with inflorescences and leaves maintaining good substance and color for more than three weeks in an interior environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora andhereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Yococoa Beach.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Fort Myers, Fla. Theobjective of the breeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemumcultivars with desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, goodsubstance, and excellent postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventor inOctober, 1994, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemumseedling selection identified as YB-5547 as the male, or pollen, parentwith the Chrysanthemum commercial cultivar Rage, disclosed in U.S. PlantPat. No. 8,770, as the female, or seed, parent. The new Chrysanthemumwas discovered and selected by the Inventor in Fort Myers, Fla., as asingle flowering plant within this population in November, 1995. Theselection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence formand floret colors.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by terminal cuttingsharvested in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla., has shownthat the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yococoa Beach has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yococoa Beach’. These characteristicsin combination distinguish ‘Yococoa Beach’ as a new and distinctChrysanthemum:

1. Upright and uniformly mounded plant habit.

2. Freely branching, dense and full plants.

3. Strong dark green foliage.

4. Uniform flowering.

5. Early flowering, eight-week response time.

6. Ability to be grown as either disbudded or center budded plants.

7. Very freely flowering; about seven inflorescences per lateral stem.

8. Large daisy-type inflorescences that are about 8.5 cm in diameter.

9. Dark orange bronze-colored ray florets with variable yellow bases andbright yellow disc florets.

10. Excellent postproduction longevity with inflorescences and leavesmaintaining good substance and color for more than three weeks in aninterior environment.

Compared to plants of the culitvar, Mobile, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat.No. 9,335, plants of the are different in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more upright than plants of thecultivar Mobile.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have a more attractive inflorescenceform than plants of the cultivar Mobile.

3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more orange andhave less yellow coloration at the base than ray florets of plants ofthe cultivar Mobile which are more red in color.

4. Disc florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are slower to matureand maintain their immature green coloration longer than disc florets ofplants of the cultivar Mobile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which more accurately describe the actual colorsof the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the first sheet comprises a sideperspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Yococoa Beach’.

The photograph at the bottom of the first sheet comprises a close-upview of upper (left) and lower (right) surfaces of typicalinflorescences and upper (left) and lower (right) surfaces of typicalleaves of the cultivar Yococoa Beach.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet comprises a sideperspective view of typical flowering plants of ‘Yococoa Beach’ (left)and ‘Mobile’ (right).

The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet comprises a close-upview of typical inflorescences of plants of ‘Yococoa Beach’ (left) and‘Mobile’ (right).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the Autumn inLeamington, Ontario, Canada, under greenhouse conditions whichapproximate those generally used in commercial potted Chrysanthemumproduction. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in a 15-cmcontainer and pinched once. Plants used for this description were grownas center budded-types. Measurements and numerical values representaverages of typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar YococoaBeach.

Commercial classification: Daisy center budded-type pottedChrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selectionidentified as YB-5547.

Female, or seed, parent.—Commercial Chrysanthemum cultivar Rage,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,770.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.—Seven to ten days with soil temperatures of 21° C.

Rooting habit.—Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous daisy potted Chrysanthemum which can be grown aseither disbudded or center budded plants. Inverted triangle; stemsmostly upright and somewhat outwardly spreading giving a uniformlymounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching; about three to fourlateral branches develop after removal of terminal apex (pinching);dense and full plants.

Plant height.—About 32 cm.

Plant width.—About 37 cm.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 7.3 cm.Width: About 6.8 cm. Apex: Cuspidate. Base: Cuneate to truncate. Margin:Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral lobes mostly divergent.Texture: Upper and lower surfaces with very fine pubescence; veinsprominent on lower surface. Petiole length: About 2.3 cm. Petiolediameter: About 2.5 mm. Color: Young foliage upper surface: 147A. Youngfoliage lower surface: Darker than 147B. Mature foliage upper surface:147A. Mature foliage lower surface: 147B. Venation upper surface: 147Ato 147B. Venation lower surface: 147B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Daisy inflorescence form with elongated oblong-shaped rayflorets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk and rayflorets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.

Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Plantsexposed to three weeks of long day/short night conditions after plantingfollowed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions flower abouteight weeks later; early flowering.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences and leaves maintain good colorand substance for more than three weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—Very freely flowering; about seveninflorescences per lateral stem and about 25 inflorescenses per plant.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 9 mm. Color:Darker than 144A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 8.5 cm. Depth (height): About 2 cm.Diameter of disc: About 1.8 cm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initially upright,then about 30 to 45° to horizontal. Length: About 4.1 cm. Width: About1.3 cm. Apex: Cuspidate to emarginate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth,glabrous, satiny. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 26.Color: When opening: Close to 45A. Fully opened, upper surface: Yellow,9A, overlaid with red, 45A, giving orange bronze appearance, close to,but darker than 34B; base, yellow, 9A. Amount of yellow colorationdepends on light intensity and temperature. Fully opened, lower surface:Mostly yellow, 9A, with faint reddish, close to 45A, longitudinalstreaks; base, close to 6A.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular. Apex: Serrated. Length: About 6 mm. Width:Apex: About 1.5 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: About 224. Color: Immature: 144A. Mature: Apex: Yellow,7A. Mid-section: Light green, 154A. Base: White, 155D.

Peduncles.—Aspect: Angled about 40 to 45° to stem. Length: Firstpeduncle: About 4.1 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 7.5 cm. Diameter: About2.5 mm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 9A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 12A. Gynoecium: Presenton both ray and disc florets.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Chrysanthemum hasnot been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouseconditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yococoa Beach’, as illustrated and described.